Yes, Snarly.

Having been on the outside of a situation like this, looking on and seeing things that to ME don’t make sense, I have to agree – we do not know what was in this woman’s head — what was promised to her, what she so longed to believe, what further unleashing of emotional, psychological or physical storms it might have uncovered if she disbelieved what she was told — those who have not been there can hardly understand. Sure, she “needs help,” but don’t we all? “She should have known” is probably the saddest sentence in the entire world. At times, there are things we ALL should have known; we can only think of this woman with compassion.

Meanwhile, we can also all think Biden remains pretty hot for and old dude.

Anita, we don’t know what was going on in her head, what messages she was receiving from her family and the wider world, what their history was, and most of all what threats he was making if she ever left him. The hashtag #WhyIStayed offers powerful stories and insight from women who did not leave their abusers for a very long time. It is hugely important to frame the question here not as “why did she stay” but rather “why does he beat her.”